Considering a Magento 2 Upgrade? Here’s Why Now Is The Time

by Sunny Gonzalez-Cepero

Posted on September 15, 2016

Is it time for a Magento 2 upgrade? Consider this…

In case you don’t know, Magento, first released in 2007, is now the number one e-commerce platform on the web. Developers and business owners have to come to love the flexibility and powerful capabilities of Magento. This software is used by hundreds of thousands of B2B and B2C enterprises because it is well supported, open source, and consumer-centric.

As fantastic and flexible of a platform as it is, Magento 1 does have a few downfalls. Magento 1 users noticed a lack of responsiveness, slow speed, and limited admin capabilities, to name a few deficits. So, as with all software, Magento had to upgrade in order to thrive.

Bah bye Magento 1.0. Beyond just a few bug fixes, the company did a complete makeover of the platform, releasing Magento Enterprise Edition 2.0 and Magento Community Edition 2.0 in July 2015.

Developers are typically apprehensive about upgrades, and tend to cling to their current software. But upgrades are essential to company growth, security, and staying in the lead. Fortunately, over a year has elapsed since the Beta version of 2.0 launched — and the kinks have been worked out!

If you have yet to migrate to 2.0, now is the time. Support for Magento 1.x versions will soon cease, at which point, you will lack guidance on any issues that may come up. All business that intend to move forward will need to enter the new frontier of Magento 2.0 before 1.x becomes obsolete.

So do I go ahead and do a Magento 2.0 upgrade now? Yes!

Magento 2.0 is much more robust and resolves the pitfalls of its earlier generation. Below are a few of the primary changes you will notice:

Improved speed and performance – Magento 2.0 runs 20 percent faster, is more responsive and scalable, and has a significantly improved overall performance. 1.x is plagued by intrinsic performance issues.

Security improvements – When you migrate to 2.0, you will enjoy greater security integrations and easy PCI compliance. Magento supports most payment gateways including PayPal, Braintree, and Authorize.net, as well as WorldPay and CyberSource for Magento Enterprise Edition 2.0 users.

More intuitive admin interface – The new admin panel is much more efficient and capable of handling growth. It is highly customizable and intuitive, making it easy for new team members to jump in and assimilate. The interface also makes is simpler to add products, allows for drag and drop layout editing, and doesn’t require extensive coding knowledge to create beautiful, super functional pages.

Improved checkout – Customers will love the simplified checkout process with Magento 2.0. The checkout interface is customizable, more intuitive, and more fluid. Checkouts require less steps to finalize, reducing checkout times, lowering abandon rates, and increasing conversions. Read up on an example of this on the Magento site.

New extensions – Magento added a host of extensions to the marketplace which pass the company’s quality and performance standards. You will have access to new free and premium useful integrations and beautiful newly coded extension upgrades. This not only translates into a more flexible architecture and better out-of-the-box functionality, but also greatly improved UX.

Why should I entrust my Magento 2.0 migration to Harris Web Works?

Harris Web Works has been building websites in the industry-leading Magento e-commerce platform for over a decade. We can design, code, and build or transfer your online store using this powerful, flexible, and well-documented software. We are based in New Haven, Connecticut, AKA the tech hub of the Northeast, and is recognized as one of the regional industry leaders throughout New England. Many businesses have entrusted their sites to us. Feel free to check out a few Magento sites we have created: Hat Attack and Tempaper.

Harris Web Works can assist with your Magento upgrade and all of your other website needs. And we have the skills and experience to make the transition from 1.x seamless and stress-free. Harris Web Works developers, highly credentialed Magento experts, are fluent in the modern coding standards 2.0 implements. We are certified Magento developers and Magento 2 trained solution partners. And we hold both Magento Certified Solution Specialist and Magento Certified Front End Developer certifications.

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About The Author

Sunny Gonzalez-Cepero’s background includes 20 years of professional writing and 10 years of web development, spanning a plethora of industries. Her primary niches include law, health and fitness, web development, and professional profiles. Hand-coded sites, graphic design, CMSs, marketing, SEO, print work, and social media management are just some of her proficiencies. If a client can envision it, she can manifest it. Learn more about Sunny or inquire about services on Sunfire Creatives or by contacting her directly at sunny[at]sunfirecreatives[dot]com.